SWEDEN: The VR Sverige subsidiary of Finland’s national operator has won the next contract to operate Öresundståg services from Göteborg, Kalmar and Karlskrona to Malmö and across the Øresund Bridge to Denmark.
The tender was called by Öresundståg AB, which is jointly owned by the Blekinge, Halland, Kronoberg, Skåne, Kalmar and Västra Götaland regions.
The contract runs for five years from December 2025 and is worth around €105m per year.
Öresundståg said it aimed to find an operator that could offer robust services and high customer satisfaction, and the agreement contains clear requirements and incentives linked to punctuality, capacity, comfort and information.
An important factor was fleet maintenance. In December 2020 SJ took over the services under a contract which was due to run for eight years, but disagreements about the scope of maintenance activities led to the contact being terminated after just two years. Previous operator Transdev was then awarded an emergency contract from December 2022.
Maintenance has been outsourced to Mantena since December 2020, and this will continue under VR. Öresundståg said Mantena is an experienced supplier which would minimise disruption from vehicle faults.
It is the fourth contract won by Finland’s national operator since it entered the Swedish market with the acquisition of Arriva’s Swedish business in 2022, after the Bergslagen, X-tåg and Norrtåg contracts.
VR said it is seeking profitable growth and experience in the Swedish market as it prepares for intensifying competition in Finland.
‘VR’s strengths in this competition were our solid expertise in digital solutions and high focus in employee experience, together with our long experience and vision of developing rail traffic’, said VR CEO Elisa Markula. ‘VR already has a strong presence in public transport in southern Sweden — we are a popular employer in the region and we will now continue to build our employer image and attract the best talent. Excellent customer service and punctuality are the keys to increase the popularity of public transport both in Finland and in Sweden.’
